Islanders at Senators
The New York Islanders are riding high with points in 10 of their last 11 games (8-1-2) and look to continue their surge at a place that has been very accommodating of late. The Islanders attempt to maintain their recent dominance of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon as they boast a 4-0-1 mark in their last five encounters in Canada's capital city.
"Slowly we've inched our way back in it," interim coach Doug Weight said of the team's frantic run to reside two points behind Boston for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Veteran Jason Chimera scored his seventh goal in 13 contests in Thursday's 3-1 victory over Philadelphia as New York improved to 13-4-4 in its last 21 games since a 6-2 setback to Ottawa on Dec. 18. Mark Stone scored a goal and set up two others in that tilt and also netted the team-leading 19th tally on Thursday as the Senators rebounded from back-to-back shutout losses with a 3-2 victory over Dallas. "As a whole those last two games weren't our best, especially offensively, but I think throughout (Thursday's) game we started to dictate the pace better,” Stone told the Ottawa Sun.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHL.TV, MSG-Plus (New York), TSN5, RDS (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (24-18-10): Journeyman goaltender Thomas Greiss has found a home in New York, posting a 6-1-1 mark with two shutouts in his last eight contests and a 9-3-3 record while starting 15 of the team's last 17. The 31-year-old German has permitted only 35 goals in his last 15 starts, with 17 coming in just three games. Captain John Tavares (team-leading 20 goals, 44 points) has been just as hot -- his assist versus the Flyers gave him 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) and a plus-7 rating in his last 13 games.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (28-18-6): Craig Anderson, who has been idle for more than two months while his wife battles cancer, will have the final say if he's ready to return to the crease, coach Guy Boucher told reporters. "Is he able to be in the net physically?" Boucher said. "One hundred percent. But right now, it's for him (mentally) if he's ready to go." Captain Erik Karlsson began February by setting up three goals at Tampa Bay to increase his team-leading totals in assists (36) and points (44) before being held off the scoresheet and posting a minus-5 rating over his last three games. The two-time Norris Trophy winner set up a pair of goals in the first encounter with New York, upping his point total to 20 (five goals, 15 assists) in 21 career meetings.
OVERTIME
1. Ottawa C Zack Smith recorded the first of his two multi-goal and three-point performances this season in the initial meeting with New York.
2. Islanders C Ryan Strome has two goals and five assists during his five-game point streak.
3. The Senators are 0-for-7 on the power play in their last three contests and 2-for-20 in the last six.